📖 Meaning
Literally 'to pull someone by the ear,' this idiom describes earnest and urgent instruction. The character 言 is a classical auxiliary particle with no independent meaning. It conveys the image of a teacher so intent on imparting a lesson that they physically seize the listener by the ear to ensure attention.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Yi' (抑) poem in the 'Major Odes' (大雅) section of the 'Book of Songs' (《诗经》), one of China's oldest poetry collections dating to the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–771 BCE). The original line reads: 'Not only did I instruct you face to face, I also pulled you by the ear.' The Eastern Han scholar Zheng Xuan (郑玄), in his commentary on the 'Book of Songs', explained: 'I did not merely speak to you face to face — I personally pulled your ear. This shows that through teaching and guidance, who cannot be awakened?'
💡 Example Usage
父亲言提其耳，教导我为人处世的道理。
My father earnestly pulled me by the ear, teaching me the principles of how to conduct oneself in the world.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 言提其耳
- Pinyin: yán tí qí ěr
- Literal Translation: pull, his, ear (言 is an auxiliary particle)
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4